The Clockwork Heart
by CodyNaomiSwire
Summary: A Portal / Night Castle (Trans-Siberian Orchestra album) crossover - Chell wakes up to find herself washed ashore on a beach, with a mysterious castle awaiting her on the cliff top... A random, fairytale-like one-shot. Chelley, both Android! and Human!Wheatley


First came a sound, the sound of waves beating against a sandy shore. Then came the feeling, the feeling of a cool breeze against her hot and sweaty skin, and of sand underneath her cheek and between her clasped fingers.

Then her sight.

As Chell slowly blinked her eyes open. She saw above her a clear, dark blue sky, with millions of bright and shining stars. As her eyes went to follow the lines of the constellations, her view became blocked by a cliff rising just behind where she lay. It towered over her like a giant fortress wall.

Chell sat up and looked around her. The sea stretched in front of her as far as her eyes could reach, and the beach she found herself on was completely surrounded by steep rocks, all rising to meet with the giant cliff, creating a little cove. Chell had no idea how she ended up there, but for some reason this fact didn't frighten her. Perhaps because by this time she was fairly used to not remembering a lot of things, and as long as she was unharmed – and not inside that horrible underground labyrinth that was Aperture Science – she wasn't going to panic over it.

However, she did start to wonder where she was supposed to go from that point. Although she may have felt relatively safe, Chell felt more secure if she was on the move. As she scanned the cliff with her slate gray eyes, she eventually caught sight of a little pathway leading upward from the beach. She began to walk up it, and the further up she got, the less it looked like a simple footpath. Eventually, the pathway became a set of stone stairs. As she went up these, she felt her right foot slide a bit as she stepped on a small object that shifted beneath it. At first she thought it was just a stone, but when she looked down, she saw it was a small gear like what you'd find inside a clock.

She picked it up and held it in the palm of her hand, bringing her face close to it to see it better in the dark. It was about the size of a silver dollar, and it felt strangely warm as she held it in her hand. Anyone would have thought that after sitting on the cold steps that it would've been chilly to the touch, but it felt more like the way it would have if someone had had it in their pocket for some time.

Chell wasn't one for just picking up and carrying around strange objects – especially after having to carry around all sorts of weird and potentially dangerous ones in that Place – and although she had a strange feeling about this little object, she also felt that there couldn't be a whole lot of harm in holding on to it. Plus if it had come from another person's pocket, and it was still warm, perhaps that person was still nearby. Slipping it into her own pocket, she continued up the stairs.

A few minutes later, she found herself at the top of the cliff. Looking back, she still couldn't see any land beyond the vast sea that spread out across the whole horizon. She then turned towards the land, and found that situated on top of the cliff, its tall and proud silhouette cast sharply by the full moon behind it, was a grand castle. The gateway to the castle stood wide open, and there wasn't a soul to be seen anywhere along the walls or inside the courtyard. The castle's windows were all dark, so one would have almost assumed no one lived there, except for at the very top of the tallest tower was a single window with a warm orange glow coming from inside it.

 _"Why is it always the highest room of the tallest tower?"_ Chell thought to herself with a raised eyebrow. She was of course extremely suspicious and apprehensive about the whole thing, but seeing as how there was no other way to go, and the possibility that whoever was there could help her find her way back to…wherever she needed to be, she cautiously made her way inside the gate.

Keeping her eyes and ears open, Chell made her way across the courtyard. Aside from the sound of the sea lapping at the shore in the distance, and the wind blowing overhead, not a sound was to be heard. Although now she knew for sure that someone had to be living here as the lawn of the courtyard was so well kept, and the garden plants within it were healthy and well pruned.

She then came to the main doorway and gave it a sharp knock. It opened slowly with a soft creak that echoed a bit in the great hall beyond it. Chell peeked in, expecting to see whoever had opened the door, but no one was there. She felt the pulse quicken in her neck, and was about to just turn around and find another place to find help, but just then she felt something swoop in through the door just above her head.

She ducked, and looked up to see what had flown by her. Circling around the ceiling of the great hall was a bright white falcon. As Chell watched it glide through the air above her, she felt certain that it was making eye contact with her, with intelligent, deep, ice blue eyes. It eventually settled on the arm of what looked like a very old throne on the opposite end of the room, with a beam of moonlight shining through one of the windows onto it. It sat there, staring back at Chell with unblinking eyes.

Chell felt as if the noble bird was waiting for her to approach. Hardly knowing why she did, Chell found herself taking a deep breath and stepping into the large room. The falcon seemed to give a small nod, and then swooped around and vanished into the wall on her left.

For a split second, Chell half expected to see the bird come swooping out of another part of the room through a portal, of course remembering in an equal split second later that this wasn't Aperture. As she ran forward to investigate, she found that the bird had flown through a large tear in the tapestry hanging on the wall into the hallway hidden behind it. Chell pushed her way through the tapestry and ran down the corridor, trying to keep up with her winged guide.

It reminded her of another time she went running through winding corridors, following a guide with blue eyes. But those days didn't last long, and were cut short by hurtful betrayal. Chell shook off the memory and continued running.

The falcon led her through many corridors and up many flights of stairs. There were also quite a few chambers and rooms that they passed through, each having different assortments of items and artifacts. One room was full of paintings, another was full of statues, and one was full of weapons of all sorts. Chell couldn't help but come to a full standstill, shocked as she saw that two of the weapons that caught her eye were a turret and a portal gun. Anyone else would have simply thought it odd to see such two modern looking devices sitting next to old swords and shields and javelins, but for Chell, it made her go cold and her muscles tighten.

The falcon then shifted its course to glide solemnly around her in a wide circle. As Chell once again made eye contact with it as it passed by in front of her, she felt herself relax a little. The turret didn't seem to be awake, and as far as she could tell there were no portal surfaces in this place, so the gun would be rather useless. She continued on her journey through the castle.

Eventually, they passed through a room full of various timepieces that clicked and hummed and ticked. Many looked like clocks (or something like a clock), but there were also some she had never seen the like of before.

 _"Perhaps the gear I found belongs to one of these,"_ she thought to herself. _"Well, whoever owns it will be happy to have their missing piece back. Maybe I could trade it for a way back to…wherever I'm supposed to be."_

At the end of the room was a set of winding stairs. Chell ran up them, and soon found herself at the top. There she saw an open doorway, with a warm orange light coming from inside it.

The highest room of the tallest tower.

Chell peered into the room, and saw an old man sitting at a writing desk, with his back to the door. His long hair was white, as well as his beard that went down to his waist. He wore a red medieval cloak, and he scribbled away at a sheet of parchment with an old quill pen. After he completed whatever it was he was composing on it, he gently set it to flight out the window in front of him, and then started on another one. For a few moments, Chell just stood there watching him, not sure what she should do. But then, without even turning around, the old man said, "Please, come in and make yourself comfortable. I'll be with you in a minute."

Chell slowly stepped into the room. Looking around, she saw that it seemed to have a little bit of everything from the other rooms she had passed through. There was a warm fire in the hearth, a large wooden table piled with all sorts of books and papers and strange objects, and to her right a large red armchair. As she slowly sat down in it, the falcon alighted on a perch by the window in front of the writing desk, looking down as if reading the old man's scribblings.

The old man set this next piece of paper out into the wind, set his quill pen aside, and then turned to Chell. "Ah! There you are then. I wasn't sure of the exact time you would arrive here, but Cassandra and I have been expecting you."

Confused by the man's statement, Chell tried to speak in return, but she found that she couldn't. As far as she knew she could always talk, but she never did around… _Her_. Now that she was far beyond Her reach, she tried to make the words come out, but nothing came. She cupped a hand over her mouth.

The old man gave a kindly understanding smile. "Ah, lost your voice have you? Do not worry, I have just the thing for you here." He then took a hot kettle from the fireplace, and filled a small cup with the hot water. He then handed the cup to her, a sweet aroma coming from it. Once again, Chell was suspicious, and for a moment just stared at the cup, wondering if it perhaps was poisoned.

She then felt the falcon's cool gaze resting on her. She took a few sips of the tea mixture.

The tea had a warm and soothing taste, with just enough spice to give it an energizing zest. It felt good going down her throat, and left a warm feeling in her stomach. By the time she finished, she felt all the scratchiness had gone from her throat. Again, she tried to speak. "Thank you," she said, setting the cup aside.

"Not at all," said the old man. "It is our duty to keep the things lost and forgotten until they are needed again."

"We?" Chell asked.

"Those of us who live here," the old man replied. "My name is Erasmus, and this," he said, tilting his head towards the falcon, "is Cassandra. She is one of my greatest helpers, and among my most trusted advisors."

"Oh," said Chell, who saw the falcon dip its head in greeting. It didn't surprise Chell that it could understand all that they were saying. "I…I think I may be a bit lost myself."

"There come times in everyone's life when they feel lost," said Erasmus. "The trick though, is knowing that there's always a way back."

"Do you know the way back for me?" asked Chell, not one for beating around the bush. "I don't actually know where I'm supposed to be, but if you could tell me-"

Just then, a cat came padding on into the room. It gave a few mrowings and meowings to Erasmus, who nodded back at it. "We'll be there shortly," he replied to it. With a graceful turn, the cat padded back out of the room.

Seeing the puzzled look on Chell's face, Erasmus said, "You're not the only one who's come here recently. It seems our newest resident to have wandered here is having a particularly hard time finding what has been lost to him. I've tried many things to help him, but it seems even our vast collection of lost things doesn't include the one thing he needs. But Cassandra here believes you have it. Will you come to see him with me?"

"Uh…ok," said Chell, who was wondering by now just how much stranger this place could get. "But, I don't see how I could have anything that would help."

"Perhaps you'll know once you see him," Erasmus said over his shoulder as he led them out of the room. With Cassandra gliding alongside, they went back down the winding stairs and into the room with the timepieces. Chell felt herself give a slight shiver as they walked through, for each one seemed to stand still for a moment as Erasmus passed by. Chell then remembered the gear she still had in her pocket, and was about to say something to Erasmus about it. But before she could bring it up, he turned and opened a door to the right, and entered the adjoining room.

From behind him, Chell could hear some soft moaning coming from inside, as if someone were sick or in pain, or both. As she peered over Erasmus's shoulder, she saw that this next room had all sorts of pieces of technology similar to what she remembered seeing in Aperture. She also saw the figure of a man lying in a long cot in the middle of the room. His back was to them, and the single large lump in the blankets told her that he had curled himself up into a ball underneath them.

As they came in, Cassandra perched herself on the nightstand next to the cot. Chell froze as she heard an all too familiar voice exclaim, "Aah! Bird bird- Gah!" He balled himself up tighter as he seemed to suddenly have more pain pull at him as he flinched. "Ow! For goodness sake! Don't spook me like that please. I'm not particularly fond of birds – er- that is to say, you're a right pretty one and all, and not at all like the crows that attacked me before but…mmph!...your-your silent swooping around does make one jump." He then rolled over to see who had else had entered the room. "Ugh…Alright mate…if you've come here to have another operation on me again, will you please-" His speech cut off immediately as he turned and saw Chell, his eyes opening wide with a mixture of disbelief and fear. "I-It's…it's YOU!" he said, his face all too familiar to Chell.

 _Wheatley._

The last time Chell had seen him was as he was being flung into space…after trying to murder her. It was such a contrast to see him here like this now. His eyes no longer had the power-mad glare from being in the mainframe. Now they had a fear in them that she could remember seeing in them sometimes as they were trying to escape together before, but there was also something different. There was also a haunted look in them, mixed with pain. Before, when she thought about seeing him again after all that had happened, she felt for sure that she would feel anger and hatred towards him. She still had a flare of anger, but she didn't feel hatred. Rather, she found her heart actually going out to him.

This moment of silence was interrupted as his face contorted with pain as a fresh wave seemed to shoot through him, more intense than before, and his brow getting damp with sweat. He hugged himself tighter, and he gave a sharp hiss followed by a longer and harder moan.

"Easy now," said Erasmus, who strode forward, pulling the blankets off Wheatley's shoulders. "Let me have a look now."

With great effort, Wheatley laid himself flat on his back, his face still in a grimace. His chest was bare, and Chell could see the bright blue core that glowed in the middle of it. It pulsated as if in time to a heartbeat, but it was fast and hard, as if struggling to maintain a normal rhythm. Erasmus then surprised Chell by opening up the core. As he did, some sparks came flying out, and Chell heard some small grinding noises. Wheatley gave another yelp of pain. "Aaah! For God's sake! Do you have any painkillers at all I can take? I know this place isn't fully equipped with – gah! – the…the kind of technology I need for that, but…ugh!"

Erasmus then beckoned Chell forward. Slowly and shakily, she went up to Wheatley's bedside, and looked down into his core. At first all she saw was the familiar blue glow that was signature to him. But as it faded down slightly for a moment, she caught a glimpse of a system of gears on the inside. It seemed a bit primitive, she thought, for an Aperture device to have inner workings like that, but there it was. Where his heart would have been (if he were human), was an intricate set of gears.

A clockwork heart.

Chell also saw that as all the gears tried to turn, they would twitch and jerk as one was missing, otherwise completing the smooth cycle of clockwork. The opening for that gear was about the size of a silver dollar. Her hand wandered to feel the small bulge in her pocket.

"Yeah about all this…ugh…Lemme…lemme, lay something on you here," Wheatley struggled to say, his eyes still tightly shut. "It's pretty heavy…uh…they told me here…that I have, what they call, a 'broken heart'. I…I'm not entirely sure what that entails…but, it seems that, a crucial piece is missing, and…and they haven't found it yet." Wheatley paused as he coughed a bit, a couple of sparks flying out of his core. "So…yeah, I guess this heart…thing…is pretty crucial, and…not-not that they've said anything about this really…but…in case it can't be fixed…I just wanted to say…I'm sorry…sincerely…" He took a couple deep breaths to steady himself as Chell stood there perfectly still. "I…I'm sorry I was bossy…and monstrous…and…I-I know I can't really make it up to you, but…I…I am sorry…all the same…" Here he slowly opened his eyes, doing his best to keep eye contact with her, as for some reason that seemed to make the pain worse. "Really…really sorry…"

Chell remained standing there, frozen on the spot, feeling the gazes of Erasmus and Cassandra on the two of them as they watched this most unusual reunion.

"If…if you are, still angry…with-with me…" he continued to say, looking away from her face, "that…that's fine. Really…I-I don't blame you. I deserve it. In fact…just, just forget about me. Go and get yourself, uh, un-lost. I mean, at least, I'd assume you'd be lost as you're…you're here in this place and all. At least, that's what the old man tells me this place is for. For lost things. Er- sorry I don't mean old like, well, you are old there mate, but…Uh, yeah, anyway, back to you though…Chell…I'm-I'm sure you'll come through though. You always do…You're just so amazing that way. And-and you-"

Here his monologue was cut off as Chell reached over and put a finger to his lips, silencing him instantly, but gently. He flinched at the sudden contact, and with uncertainty looked back into her eyes. He was surprised beyond belief as he saw them sparkling, and a small smile on her face. She couldn't help but smile as she heard the familiar waterfall voice come from him. That voice that guided her along those long corridors, amused her with chattering on about nothing, and encouraging her to keep on towards freedom had returned to him. In those few phrases just now, with that same old voice, she knew he was back to his old self.

Or nearly.

Perhaps others in Chell's position would have relished the idea that they now held some power over someone who once held power over them; know that they held a crucial key in giving Wheatley back his life, and that they could choose whether or not to give it. (And for Chell at least, the idea was met with an inner revulsion as it sounded so much like something She would have done – withhold a chance at one's freedom; freedom of any sort.)

Or perhaps they wouldn't have felt ready to follow through with such a selfless act for someone who had been so selfish towards them. For a long time, Chell had imagined a moment like this possibly happening – of seeing him again – and was wondering if she would ever feel ready to do it. For several moments, she felt that she couldn't. But seeing him again like this now, hearing the sadness and desperation and regret in his voice, and seeing the pain he was in, and how he really was genuinely sorry, she couldn't see herself doing anything else.

Gently, she took the gear out of her pocket, holding it up to show him.

"Wha…what's that…what's that for?" he asked with a surprised tone.

"For giving," she said, and with careful hands, she slid the gear into place.

Wheatley inhaled sharply as the gear clicked into place, and the rest of the clockwork inside whirred to life. He held his breath for a moment, and then let it out slowly, exhaustion reflected in his eyes, but also relief and a new glow. He slowly sat up, feeling over his core, now closed back up. He then looked at Chell in bewilderment.

"Wh-Why?…How…how did you…?" he breathlessly tried to ask. He then seemed to have a wave of dizziness come over him, and began to fall forward. Chell reached out and caught him, holding him in small but warm arms. She could feel him trembling, and with as much effort as he could muster, he returned the embrace. Chell hugged him tight, with her cheek pressed against his core, listening to it hum and whirr on the inside.

She then thought she heard the fluttering of Cassandra's wings, and for a moment, everything slipped into blackness. But Chell could still feel Wheatley's arms around her, his chest under her cheek, and hear the humming noises coming from inside it. Instead of being afraid of whatever was happening, she felt it all to be rather peaceful. Very peaceful in fact. She let herself fall calmly into the darkness.

Gradually, the humming and whirring sound shifted into a beating sound. It was the sound of a human heart, slow and gentle. Chell blinked open her eyes to find herself looking not at the chamber of the castle they had been in, but in their living room, with her head resting on Wheatley's chest, his breathing slow and lilting, and one arm wrapped around her shoulders. The TV in front of the couch was still on quietly, and the radio in the kitchen also hummed with a tune.

 _"It…It was all a dream?"_ Chell realized with surprise as the fog of sleep cleared in her brain. _"Huh…one of the more 'real' ones I've had recently though…"_

She carefully reached for the remote and turned off the TV. As she shifted her position, Wheatley jerked awake and said groggily, "Oh, everything ok luv? You seemed to be having some weird dreams just a while ago or something. Not like your testing nightmares – er, at least I hope that wasn't it. That wasn't what you were dreaming of was it? 'Cause, you know, if you were having nightmares, I just want to know if there's anything I could-"

She put a finger to his lips, cutting him off before pressing her own lips to his. He returned the gesture, hugging her a bit tighter, and as they pulled apart she whispered, "No, I'm fine, as long as I have you." Wheatley seemed a bit confused by the sudden affection for a moment, but then with a smile whispered back, "Yeah, me too luv." And he brought her hand to his heart and said, "I'll always be fine, with you right here."

With a fond sigh, she again rested her head back on his chest, his hand still holding hers over his heart, and drifted off to sleep again, with the radio in the kitchen still playing a song sweetly and softly:

 _Days are counted till they're gone_

 _Nights were meant to carry on_

 _Morpheus is at your side_

 _Offering the wings to fly and be there_

 _Free from Earth to sail across this night_

 _Where stars are all eternal_

 _And the mind dares_

 _The evening sighs_

 _So close your eyes_

 _And tell me what you see_


End file.
